Ever since Tessa offered to help teach Daniel how to play guitar as a way of opening himself up on Young and Restless, fans could see the writing on the wall. And sure enough, the two have grown quite a bit closer over time, especially as Daniel has offered support to Tessa while her marriage to Mariah goes through a particularly rough patch. But how does Daniel really feel about her? “Daniel really, really likes Tessa,” portrayer Michael Graziadei declares to Soap Opera Digest.

A Fresh Start

It started innocently enough, with Tessa helping Daniel move on after the death of his partner, Heather — but along the way, feelings began to develop that caught Daniel by surprise. “I mean, I know in my own personal life, I’ve always found someone when I haven’t been looking for someone,” Graziadei muses. “And the connection that they wound up establishing kind of came out of that. He was dealing with everything that had happened with Heather, and just found this person to confide in. And from that, he eventually realized that this was more than just someone he liked spending a little time talking with about whatever he was having.”

The Real Problem

Graziadei believes that his alter ego is ready for a new relationship, given that Heather died in September 2024. “I mean, it’s been a year, so that’s a long time on a soap opera,” he says, adding with a chuckle, “You would think he would have moved on already by now!”

The actor also marvels at how quickly the time has passed. “We were talking about it the other day in a scene,” Graziadei recalls. “[Tessa] brings it up to me and says something, and I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s been over a year.’ And I wasn’t even aware. Because you rehash the story over and over again on a daily basis, I hadn’t even realized that it had been that much time.”

The main obstacle preventing Daniel from acting on his feelings for Tessa isn’t guilt over moving on from Heather, but the fact that Tessa is married to Mariah. “To be honest,” Graziadei shares, “I actually have really appreciated the way that this story has been told and this connection has come about because of the fact that she’s a married woman.”

The Reason Why

From Daniel’s perspective, it’s easy to see why Mariah fell in love with Tessa herself. “She’s intelligent, she’s independent, she’s a fantastic mother,” Graziadei explains. “She is always there to listen if he needs anything. And I think that is such an important thing to find in a partner — someone who, when one person is at a point where they’re trying to communicate to the other person that that person is indeed listening, and in turn, the other person feels heard.”

The actor also feels the same fondness for his co-star, Cait Fairbanks (Tessa). “Cait is fantastic,” he enthuses. “I think she’s a great actor, and she’s just lovely to be around on set. She’s always down to explore the scenes, and she’s always prepared. It’s important when you work with someone, you want to show up to work and be excited to work with them, you know? And I do. I get that with her. I just have a lot of fun with her on set.”

It’s going to be quite a rocky road ahead for Daniel as he tries to express his feelings for Tessa, but Graziadei is optimistic that the couple has a chance. “I don’t know how much I can say,” he hedges, “but what I can say is it feels like, with the connection that these two people are having, that the audience is going to be rooting for them to get together.”

And he also has a special message for the loyal “Teriah” fans who are upset at anyone coming between Tessa and Mariah on Y&R. Jokes Graziadei, “I would just like any fans who are mad at me to just kindly remember that I’m not writing it.

Share your thoughts about a potential Daniel and Tessa pairing in the comments below!